Silver Age
by Legend Maker
Summary: An AU Infinities tale. The Jedi are doomed to die, and the Empire to reign...at least in the films. But here...things may go different. On one of the many battlefields of the Clone Wars, a new destiny may be wrought...or maybe not...


_**Silver Age**_

Author's Opening Note: There could be a lot to complain about.

If you ask what I mean, it means the accuracy in fanfiction.

But I won't complain about it.

Why should I? I have no right to tell you how and what you should write, even if I find it bothersome. I don't believe that Obi-Wan and Anakin are gay, but if you wish to write a story with a relationship of any kind between them, I won't tell you it's wrong. True, there are many things one must consider if one wanted to write such a story, but that is a whole nother can of worms. For now, I will just say, in the Western world of free speech, while I can and may suggest that you are wrong in some way, from plot accuracy to outright iniquitousness, I really have no right to outright tell you you are wrong, nor mock you for any wrongness I perceive.

All I ask is that the same courtesy be shown to me.

In this Star Wars fanfic, I will change things, but I have done my best to make sure the changes are as realistic as possible. I have researched as well as my meager resources allow, and I am willing take any advice or suggestions offered. Indeed, as some of this story relies on details not yet revealed, I may be forced to go back and alter certain events so they fit. The point is this: I have tried. I have always shown others courtesy for writing things I do not agree with such as slash, as this is a personal opinion and should not be what reflects on any talent you may possess as a writer. Please do so in return.

Now, before I start, more aggravating details.

As said, this is a Star Wars Infinities story. For those who don't read comics, the Infinities series was a comic series where a small detail of each of the Star Wars films was changed to create a brand new story (Ex: "What if Luke Skywalker missed his shot at the Death Star?). It was later expanded to tell other What-If stories ("What if Darth Maul survived and went after Obi-wan after Revenge of the Sith?") or outright comedy stories (Jar Jar's supposed origin, written mostly to fall in line with the widely held opinion that he ruined the Star Wars prequels), similar to DC's Elseworlds and Marvel's What-If's series'. My Infinities story will be in the vein of the original technique: changing a small detail of one of the films (in this case Revenge of the Sith) to create a brand new world. However, I will not be doing this immediately. But when I do do it, you'll know.

This story will also feature EU (Expanded Universe, the stories told in Star Wars books and comics) characters. I have done my best to match up the books and comics with my story, but a few slight discrepancies may still remain. For those who read such things, my story takes place roughly a month before the Revenge of the Sith movie, during which I have decided these events have just ended or not yet happened.

After-Star Wars: Republic #77 (the final story supposedly dovetails into the events of Revenge of the Sith, but as #77 has yet to be released, exactly how close these events are is yet unrevealed: it could be a day or in my case it is roughly a month)

Before- Star Wars: Clone Wars Episode XXII (or more accurately, some time before Anakin and Obi-Wan's assignment to the planet Nelvaan, whose events lead into Revenge of the Sith)

Before-Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil (novel, events of book end with direct tie in to events seen in Clone Wars cartoon, Volume 2 and Revenge of the Sith movie)

Hopefully this will be an accurate picture that does not contradict canon sources. If there are slight variations…well, I have done my best. As mentioned, this is an Infinities story. If you are not interested in details but are interested in my story and are uncertain of certain details such as spacecraft and species, both starwars dot com and wikipedia dot org are treasure troves of information that helped me do this story (hopefully) right.

Now that that is finally done, let us finally begin my tale…(and I'm afraid you'll have to do the music yourself…)

* * *

_**A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…**_

**STAR WARS**

Chapter 1: Childhood's End

For the past three years the clone wars have ravaged the Galaxy, the clashes of the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems battling across endless worlds, neither side realizing the dark puppetmaster pulling strings on both sides that will result in a mass genocide and a dark era of evil, a fulfillment of a prophecy a thousand years in the making.

But the curse of complicated machines is that all it takes is one damaged small part, perhaps even minuscule and almost insignificant, to render the whole machine worthless. The same can be said of plans, even long awaited ones masterminded by brilliances beyond compare…sometimes, just one tiny thing can change it all…

But for now, the galaxy rages in the final throes of a war, a war in which the losing side is not willing to admit it, and the winning side has been taxed dearly. The Jedi Order, millennia old, have been forced from their roles of peacekeepers to soldiers, and their long held systems and their defiance by one Jedi, a chosen one destined to become a black incarnation of evil, will soon lead to their near extinction…

Or at least…that was how it went somewhere…

Here…

On the planet Tetrion, one of the many battles of the Clone Wars enters its final stage, and on that battlefield, the latest of an infinite amount of tragedies that these wars have produced has occurred…

* * *

Millions of years ago, the planet Tetrion had possibly been lush, fertile, and filled with life. 

Until a meteor struck one side, ravaging one of the main chunks of land on the world and plunging the world into darkness that killed all living beings. When the darkness cleared, the ocean had rushed in to claim the space where land had once been, and its waters had eventually ground what was left of the continent down to nothing. Life began once again on the planet, but the destruction caused by the meteor and the displacement by the oceans had left only one large landmass that could sustain life: the rest of the planet was pocketed by islands almost always composed of rocky, jagged mountains with little flat ground, the underside of the islands riddled with caves and caverns that snaked through the ground and under the sea, until the eons of erosion eventually allowed the waters into the caverns, the water claiming more of the blasted landmass. Perhaps one day the sea would have claimed all terra firma except the main landmass, but for now it was content with its rule. While some non-sentient creatures lived on the main landmass, and the sea was filled with living creatures, the islands rarely allowed any kind of life to cling to it, and hence they stood virtually empty.

While no life actually lived on these islands though, it did not mean that they could not sustain life…in a sense. The air of the planet was breathable, and while no one could actually live on the islands, some were, in a way, nice places to visit. As a result Tetrion mostly existed as a tourist destination, for species that wished to 'rough it' for a short time before returning to the comforts of their home. They swam in the oceans (carefully protected from underwater predators via special shielding mechanisms), climbed the mountains, and explored the caverns. The planet had no real government beyond a loosely knitted collection of businesses, and hence had been easy prey for the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which had taken the planet early on and kept it secret for some time. But all secrets are revealed eventually, and on the planet a battle now raged. Having been revealed as a manufacturing location for the Separatists, Clone Troopers led by Jedi had been dispatched to disable and destroy these plants, hidden underground in the natural caverns of Tetrion, though locations were somewhat limited due to the aforementioned unstable nature of these caverns. The final push of the battle had begun, as the Troopers and Jedi began a fierce assault to penetrate and destroy the main bunker. While said bunker was heavily guarded, it was almost rather open as it criss-crossed several of the larger cavern lines, and practicality was one couldn't heavily guard ALL of them.

But it had been able to guard enough of them, in regards to this situation we now look upon.

A small mountain protruded from the location, one of the larger islands near the central landmass of Tetrion, about fifty miles or so in radius. At the base of this mountain stood a large opening, which lead into an underground tunnel that eventually led to the main bunker. The sheer size of the opening made a tempting target, and it had been exploited. However, the CIS was not stupid and had heavily guarded the opening.

And it showed, as twenty bodies of Clone Troopers lay scattered among the ruins of a great many droids. This wreckage continued across the ground from the mountain, a rocky field pitted with a few growths of tough grass, before it swelled up a bit and then dropped off. While the field mostly ended in a cliff face that dropped off into the rocky barrens below, the sea rushing it and out and occasionally breaking on the cliff, this part had a slight difference: the ground swelled up and then dropped off onto a lower piece of ground, a step if you would, before the ground below the cliff led off the edge of the sea. The ground below this cliff step, unlike the field that had led to it, was smooth and polished, though most likely due more to outside sources then natural ones. One did not need to drop off the cliff to get down to the bluff though: the bluff led around the 'step' in a smooth path that split in two directions. One led up to the rocky ground that composed most of this part of the island on the edge, and the other led down into the earth before it ended in a small hole that led to another cave. Perhaps this had once been a romantic destination, where couples could watch the sea via the bluff and explore the nearby cave.

No love existed there now. Just war.

For in the center of the bluff lay a Jedi, on the ground. He was a Trandoshan, his reptilian features pinched into an expression of pain, anger, and under it all shame. His scales had dulled from green to slight gray, showing the age of the alien. His brown outfit, with a few traces of red, sported several burned holes, holes that extended into his body beyond. One arm flexed and twisted its fingers weakly, desperately trying to reach the lightsaber a mere half-foot away. A simple task reduced to an impossibility: even if the Jedi could have focused through the pain and used the Force to call his weapon to him, his three clawed fingers would not have been able to grip it. The Trandoshan species was renowned for its toughness: the fact that this one, a Jedi as well, had been reduced to such a feeble state showed how badly it had been injured. Not that he had gone down easily: he had caused a majority of the wreckage that littered the field beyond. His voice whispered slight curses as it tried, despite the fact it would never happen, to retrieve the lightsaber and fight on.

Slight shadows fell over the fallen Jedi, whose eyes were closed tightly, as if he could refuse the fact of his defeat if he did not look upon the faces of the beings that had caused it, as several battle droids walked around his fallen form, their rifles aimed and ready to fire if necessary, though their scanners told them it would not be.

"Target neutralized, near death. Capture for interrogation?" Asked one of the battle droids, CVAP-CCCIV. The Trandoshan Jedi had attempted to utilize a diversion by the now deceased clone troopers to sneak into the main entrance, make his way to the bunker, and then hopefully meet up with aid and lay siege to it. However, the Trandoshan species had never been the best at stealth, and the Jedi had been discovered and flushed out by sheer numbers as the way was closed off to him. Despite overwhelming odds, the Jedi had fought like mad back through the cave and across the plains before he had finally taken enough laser blasts (most of which had come in a barrage that had knocked him off the cliff) to disable him. His fierce combat had reduced the number of guardian droids to a small complement of normal ones with one commander, two super battle droids, and one droideka, who had all made their way down to the bluff via the provided path or leapt off the cliff as they now stood around, awaiting new orders either from the commander battle droid or the main computer.

"Negative. Wounds are too severe. He will die if we don't patch them and if we patch them to move chances are he will escape." Said the yellow marked commander droid, CVAP-AAZII.

"Fire finishing shot?" Asked another droid, CVAP-CCCIX. The commander droid was about to reply when a message came to him, his head cocking slightly.

"Negative. Report indicates that attempted infiltration by target was not the sole one: another infiltration was attempted via another pathway. Target was discovered and fled when further process was ceased by fierce battle and closed gates. Target was attempting entry through Tunnel 603-TR: target may not yet have exited. The tunnel is around the corner: take CVAP-CCCXI and investigate."

"Roger-roger." CVAP-CCCIX replied, as he/it and another battle droid headed away from the body and around the cliff to where the cave awaited them, a cave another target had apparently attempted another penetration attempt, one that had also failed.

"Shall we appropriate his weapon for the General?" Said CVAP-CCCII: The Jedi had stopped struggling, and his pinched expression had smoothed out, becoming almost peaceful. He was not dead yet, but he would be, sooner or later. Trandoshans might have possessed strong regenerate abilities, but such healing was still measured in a matter of days, not seconds, and the ability faded with age as well. The General CVAP-CCCII referred to was of course the new scourge of the Republic: General Grievous, the Kaleesh cyborg who now led the Separatist military forces and took great joy in exterminating Jedi and collecting their weapons.

"Uncertain. The General most likely prefers to collect the weapons himself: offering him a second-hand weapon may be interpreted as an insult to his skills and result in immediate bisection, decapitation, disintegration, and other forms of destruction to our forms."

"Roger-roger."

* * *

The immediate inside of the small cave entrance was the only real part that had light: tucked into a corner and possessing a heavy overhang at the entrance, very little natural light filtered in. For the battle droids that had entered the cave, this might have once not been a problem. Once all battle droids had been equipped with optic scanners capable of seeing in infrared and other ultraviolet spectrums, but as the war had dragged on and expenses had mounted, sacrifices had to be made, and as a resulted newly built battle droids had eyes that were little better then human eyes. The droids would have been irritated by this fact if they could feel, but they were droids and hence just went with it. Unfortunately, neither possessed any kind of light producing source. 

"No motion detected: should we stay here or immediately report back?" CVAP-CCCXI asked.

"Target may still be heading back: we shall stay here until ordered otherwise." CVAP-CCCIX replied.

"Roger-roger."

The droids walked a little further into the cave, their blasters at the ready. While they could not see well (in fact they could hardly see at all), their eyes did have one advantage: they could detect motion far better then the average organic being, right down to the minute twitches most organic beings made with their bodies even when standing still. And since there was no life on these islands, the droids knew the odds of them being faked out by an animal of some kind were small, to say the least.

Nothing happened.

The droids stood silently, waiting.

Nothing continued to happen.

The droids took a few more steps into the room, scanning, waiting…

And then a message sounded on their com-links.

"Units 309 and 311, return, we are being ordered to return and reinforce the main bunker, an infiltration has succeeded and…"

And then, in front of the droids, it came, a slight motion, an infinitesimal cracking noise…

The droids immediately opened fire, the small cave ringing with the sounds of blaster fire, the strange noise that sounded like a cross between a bang and a whine. The motion continued, as a few feet away, and partly around the corner, another sound came, like the slightest touch to a rough cave wall. The droids ran forward a few steps and continuing firing on where their sensors had detected motion, shooting for several seconds before they stopped.

"Target found/struck/destroyed?" CVAP-CCCXI inquired.

"Negative visual, may have retreated further back into the cave, will alert troops at other end and request unit for this end for…" CVAP-CCCIX replied.

The sound behind the droids was very distinct, a kind of humming hiss, as air was displaced by the glowing form of a blue laser blade.

It was true that battle droids could sense motion very well, but they probably would have fared much better if they could still see in the dark.

Otherwise they wouldn't have walked right past the sitting Jedi, his legs crossed, his form utterly motionless, as he had placed himself into a state of pure calm through the Force, even stopping the tiny motions his body made, as he waited for the right time to briefly brush against the walls behind him with the Force and send the droids running and shooting at air, going right past his utterly still form.

And the droids had to be looking at something for them to sense motion. And they didn't have eyes on the back of their heads.

As the Jedi stood up, reached to his side, and ignited his lightsaber, the blade filling the room with a dull blue glow, as the two droids tried to turn around.

The slashing blade was the last thing they ever saw.

* * *

"Units 309 and 311, respond. You have opened fire. Have you neutralized target? Units 309 and 311? Respond!" Command Droid CVAP-AAZII said. "Units 309 and 311 not responding, abrupt termination of communication suggests foul play, all units assemble and…" 

As mentioned, the path that led both to the field from the bluff and to the cave the two droids has been sent to investigate was essentially around 'a corner': you could not see the path from certain angles. And since none of the scattered droids were at that angle, they could not see anyone approaching.

So when the flash of brown sprang from behind the corner, it caught them off guard. However, droids can adapt to such things fairly quickly.

"FIRE!" Command Droid CVAP-AAZII ordered, and almost immediately all the blasters of the remaining droids were turned on the figure and unleashed their deadly particle beams, the red colored shots riddling the figure in mid-air as it was interrupted in what appeared to be a leaping dive-roll. The figure crashed to the ground, smoke pouring from its brown robe, and the droids fired several more shots into the figure before their commander made a cease fire order.

"Check for life signs." Command Droid CVAP-AAZII ordered, and a few battle droids walked over to the fallen, motionless body…

Even their low-developed 'brains' could immediately decipher that something was wrong. It was indeed a Jedi robe, but it lacked a certain something. Namely, a Jedi.

One of the droids reached under the robe with his foot and kicked it over, revealing not a dead Jedi but a thoroughly destroyed droid, Droid CVAP-CCCIX to be precise. It hadn't been a Jedi attempting a jumping lunge, it had been a droid wrapped in the robe and then thrown out onto the bluff so…

"Decoy!" One of the droids said, as the droids prepared for another attack…

But not well enough, as the sprinting figure, having tossed the robe-wrapped droid and then run up the path to the plains and then around onto the cliff, leapt off the cliff and into the air, coming down towards the lone Droideka, whose back was to the cliff. The Droideka heard the noise and turned up to face the target…

If it had had the time to make an actual observation, as the Jedi flew down from the cliff towards it, it might have noted a few things. The jedi's tunic and pants were white, streaked with dirt and soot, the usual Jedi gear. His hair was cut short albeit for a slight, tiny bound lock of hair that trailed behind his right ear, the sign of a Padawan. Someone who studies faces might have noted that maybe the Jedi's face, in times of peace, would have been soft, with mild features, but the cruel conditions of war and possibly of life had clearly taken their toll, refining the Jedi's facial appearance into a harsh, severe mask that was perhaps a step or two away from being bony, though the Jedi, his intense expression aside, was not bad looking: he was actually rather handsome.

But his most distinguishing feature, despite its short length, was his hair. It was a perfect silver color, not the dull gray of age or the white of stress, but a pure shining silver that almost seemed a step away from being metallic, light briefly flashing through it from the beginning to set sun.

But as mentioned, if the Droideka had had the time to make these observations, it would have also had the time to get its deflector shields up and open fire on the Padawan.

Instead all it got was a brief glimpse of the Padawan's igniting blue lightsaber before he slashed down through the Droideka's head and upper body, cleaving the top half off at an angle.

"Fire! Fire!" Command Droid CVAP-AAZII ordered as the Padawan spun away from the destroyed Droideka and attacked, chopping the head off the nearest battle droid before it could even turn around and chopping another one in half before it could fire. Particle blasts flew through the air, but the Jedi placed his lightsaber in front of him and rapidly moved his arms around as the blasts were deflected off, some flying back to blast the shooting droids and others just flying away, most slamming into the cliff face that the Padawan had leapt from. The Padawan rolled away from another barrage and leapt through the air at great speed, a blurring arm cleaving two more droids into pieces before he landed and deflected several more shots before he spun and cut three grouped droids in half in one slash.

"Fire faster!" Command Droid CVAP-AAZII ordered, as the Super Battle Droids finally got into the fray, both being in an inadvertent position when the Padawan had attacked. Their much faster firing blaster arms assaulted the Padawan, who went into a blocking frenzy, sending blaster bolts flying everywhere and cutting down a few more battle droids. One blast grazed his lightsaber arm though, and he recoiled and fell to one knee, his lightsaber lowering just a bit, as Command Droid CVAP-AAZII aimed for his head…

The Padawan swung his arm out as he connected with the Force and willed it to protect him, and Command Droid CVAP-AAZII found himself flying backwards along with a few of his comrades. He slammed into one of the Super Battle Droids, and despite the larger droid's heavier bulk he still drove it backwards as he, the Super Battle Droid, and a few of his companions flew over the edge of the cliff, where they were dashed to pieces on the rocks below.

The Padawan rolled to the side, his lightsaber held close, which was a good thing as the remaining droids (five normal and the lone Super Battle Droid) all fired at once. Another bolt grazed his left leg and right arm, but the Padawan did not yield as he reflected the bolts away from him, blasting two of the droids and sending more laser blasts into the underside of the cliff, the blasts chipping away more of its mass, before he carefully focused and snapped up his lightsaber at a perfect angle to deflect one of the droid's blasts right back into the blasting arm of the Super Battle droid, destroying the cannon. The main firepower disabled, the Padawan charged, hacking off the shooting arm and then the head of the first droid and then spinning in mid run and chopping the second in half. The sole remaining droid didn't even get the honor of being destroyed by the Padawan as the Super Battle Droid, rendered weaponless, came up from behind it and grabbed the droid's blaster right out of its arms, shoving the droid forward and stomping on it as it brought its stolen blaster up…

The Padawan was in front of him, swinging upward with a giant slash.

The remaining Super Battle Droid fell, its rifle and its body splitting in half and falling at the Padawan's feet, as the Jedi took deep breaths…

And then became aware of a noise. A stomping, metallic noise, a…rolling noise…

The Padawan whirled as twin Droidekas rolled around the 'corner', abruptly changing direction to roll in front of the cliff face to get a dead shot on the Padawan as the Padawan's eyes widened. Curses, he had been followed after during his escape after he had tried and failed to infiltrate the base from a lesser entrance while his master tried to sneak in the main one. But the defenses had been too strong, and the Padawan had retreated…and then felt his master's pain through the Force. Though it defied his orders, the Padawan had turned around and headed back the way he had come, delayed by the droids who had entered the cave just as he was about to leave it and almost caught him before he sat down and faked them out so he could properly get the drop on any remaining troops, troops he had just destroyed. He had hoped that the guards that had forced him back out of the cave had stayed there…but apparently some had decided to pursue. And there was no way he could get over to the Droidekas before they activated their shields, and with their protection and double blasters on each arm chances are they would cut him down in seconds (only the blessing of the Force had kept him from being injured more then he had in his attack), and he had no cover, no rocks to hide behind…

Rocks…

They were against the cliff face, which had been riddled with blaster fire and looked weakened…

The Droidekas finished their arming mode as their shields popped up and their blaster cannons emerged.

And the Padawan thrust his hand out, putting his fate in the Force, and slammed a powerful impact against the cliff face.

A loud cracking noise sounded as the cliff face buckled and then broke, a large chunk of its top toppling down and onto the two Droidekas, crushing them flat as the Padawan recoiled from the noise and the dust.

Then there was stillness, the Padawan standing, his hands clutching his weapon, his eyes darting around, looking for any more threats.

None came, and the Padawan deactivated his lightsaber and placed it back at his side as he ran over to the body of the fallen Trandoshan, his Master.

"Master Hyrotssk!" The Padawan said as he knelt down, a slight twinge of despair flowing through him as he felt how weak his teacher was. "It's ok, don't move, I called for aid, you can…"

While Jedi Master Hyrotssk's right arm had not been able to each his lightsaber, his left seemed to have enough function to reach up and grab the Padawan by the front of his tunic.

"YOU…WILL DO NOTHING." Hyrotssk hissed in his menacing tone. "You…foolish…Padawan…you should not have returned for me…"

"But Master…"

"No! You…should have not! It is…not your concern! It is my…time…"

"Master…"

"My time! It is time…to meet…the Scorekeeper…" Hyrotssk whispered, his voice growing weaker. "Time…my time…"

The Padawan's eyes moistened for a bit, and then cleared and hardened once more.

"If that is your wish Master." The Padawan said, as he took the Trandoshan's hand away from his tunic, though he did not let it go.

"You…sentimental…child…you…acted…like…a Youngling…but…you fought…fought…" Hyrotssk gasped, not able to get out what he wanted to say. The Padawan didn't need to hear it though: he understood.

"May the Force be with you Master. Always." The Padawan said.

"And may…it be…with you…and may your…jagannath points…be…legion…" Hyrotssk said, and then his body stiffened and his eyes clouded over.

The Padawan placed the Trandoshan's hand back on his chest and closed his eyes.

"Goodbye Master." The Padawan said.

Then he lowered his head and stayed there, kneeling before his fallen Master, willing him a swift and peaceful journey to the Force.

He would have liked to think his Master would watch over him from there.

But he was not so foolish.

* * *

The clonetroopers found him there, roughly seventeen minutes later, their guns peaking over the shattered cliff-face as they searched for the distress signal the Padawan had triggered in mid-run before he had gone on the attack and tried to save his Master, a futile attempt but one he would have made anyway if he could have done it over. 

"It's ok, he's one of ours." The ARC Trooper in charge of the rescue said, and the clonetroopers lowered their guard as they began to jog down into the battered bluff.

"Sir? Are you injured?" One of the troopers asked the Padawan, whose eyes opened, a dull expression in them.

"Hmmm? What? Oh…no, no really. A few scrapes. I should be fine." The Padawan said. "My Master…is dead though."

"You have my sympathy sir." The clonetrooper said, with the same tone that he might have used with delivering a field report or commenting on the weather, and trotted off as he and his comrades secured the bluff and made absolutely sure no droids were going to get up again or pop out of nowhere.

The Padawan stared at the troops as they moved about in precise formation. It was not a casual look though. His eyes, a blue so deep they seemed almost black at times, almost seemed to be studying the troopers, asserting them in some way…and if his expression was any indication, what he saw didn't make him happy.

"Kid?" The ARC Trooper was asking him, startling him out of a mild reverie of some kind. "Are you planning to return with us?"

"…Yes I suppose. Both the main entrance and the smaller one in this area have been sealed, most likely useless for infiltration."

"That's ok, we've penetrated in two other locations already, and a third may be forthcoming as well." The ARC Trooper said.

"That's…good I suppose." The Padawan said, as he slowly stood up. "Have some of your men wrap my master and take him with us. He died in battle a hero: his efforts surely decimated the troops enough for my own survival to be assured. I wish to make sure he is treated accordingly.

"As you wish kid."

"Don't call me kid." The Padawan said, his calm accepting eyes briefly glaring at the Arc Trooper. "I have a name."

"I am sorry sir. But I do not know it."

"Yes…why would you." The Padawan said, the logical words laced with an undertone of…something.

"Excuse me sir?"

"My name. I am D'ybren Bow."

"Yes sir. Men, procure the body and get ready for immediate return to main camp." The ARC Trooper said, as the finally named Padawan D'ybren Bow lifted an arm and brought his master's lightsaber to his hand, looking at it for a moment before he transferred it to his belt.

"Take me to Master Loven." D'ybren said as he turned away from his dead master and started walking towards the strip that would take him off the bluff.

"Affirmative sir."

* * *

Jedi Master Hiozi Loven appeared human, though with her bronzed skin and highly intense gaze that assessment could probably be called into question in some way. Her long black hair was carefully tied behind her, and half of her face was marked with a fearsome red tattoo that, along with her usual expression, often seemed to speak of a deep-seated violence. However, looks were deceiving: the tattoo was actually a good luck sign, and despite her expression and how she acted in battle, Master Loven was often quite benevolent. It was why she had been put in charge of the overall campaign on Tetrion, a campaign that was reaching its zenith: the Clonetroopers had planted their bombs and were retreating. 

She hoped her Padawan was all right: she had been put in charge of a unit of clonetroopers that had been sent to back up one of the main infiltration points, a point that had ended up seeing heavy combat. But she trusted her Padawan, another human named Won'st Dewhu, and she trusted in the Force to see her safely back, even if the last communication she had technically received from her had been a garbled message from the lead Clonetrooper that was in her unit saying they had begun withdrawing and once again encountered heavy resistance. But even if she felt the need to take up her lightsaber and deliberately act to aid her Padawan, she knew that in the end such actions would prove futile: destiny was what it was. So she went about her duties, receiving communications and delivering orders to her troops and Jedi in the field and by her side.

Roughly eleven minutes later, it happened, as several loud explosions followed a gigantic explosion of light off in the distance caused all the men and women and aliens of the main camp to stop what they were doing and shield their eyes. The light faded quickly, leaving only a low roaring rumble and a massive cloud of smoke rising off in the distance.

"Main bunker destroyed General." Said a voice on one of the communicating holograms. "All units extracted, acceptable losses."

"Very well Commander. Bring them in." Loven replied. She did not like how the Clonetrooper referred to the men and Jedi lost in the attack as 'acceptable', but the Clonetroopers had mostly been bred to think in very rational, logical terms. If a battle went with a number of casualties that wouldn't cripple later efforts, it was acceptable, never mind the other aspects of such death. It was one thing that Loven disliked about working with Clonetroopers: despite looking like humans they more often acted like droids despite their living ability to think and plan. Well, she couldn't change it, so she accepted it.

"Yes General." Replied the commander, and signed off.

Roughly a hundred feet away, D'ybren lowered his arm as he tried to blink away the bright spots the explosion had burned into his vision.

"That was a large explosion." He commented.

"Yes general." Replied one of the clonetroopers: whether D'ybren had actually been given that rank was unknown. But virtually all clonetrooper units were lead by Jedi more often then not, and hence most clonetroopers called Jedi Generals whether they actually were or not.

"Was that a good explosion or a bad explosion?"

"Good General. The main bunker has been destroyed, which means our mission was a success."

"Good…I suppose…" D'ybren said. If the Force willed that his master would die in a failed infiltration so another one could succeed…then D'ybren supposed that was what it willed.

The transport/gunship touched down, and D'ybren hopped down to the ground and strode off without a word. It was not rudeness: clone troopers were bred for war and did not really take compliments or praise well. At least not from superiors. Their fellows were another issue…

"All right, with that bunker and the main two supply lines destroyed I cannot see where else on this planet the Separatists hold a foothold…perhaps I shall contact Master Yoda and suggest we could be used elsewhere…Commander Dyn, did you ever discover the reason behind that seemingly lost supply depot?" Master Loven asked one of his commanders on a hologram communicator.

"No General."

"Well no matter…"

"General." Said another, actually there clonetrooper. "There is another Jedi outside wishing to speak to you."

"Is there? Commanders Dyn, Uhs, Kez, continue the return home for now unless new orders are forthcoming." Loven said to her charges.

"Yes General." The three all said pretty much in unison, and signed out as Loven stepped out from her tent to find a silver haired young man awaiting her.

"Padawan Bow." She said.

"Master Loven." D'ybren replied, nodding his head in a slight bow. "…Master Hyrotssk is dead."

"Yes I know: I felt his death in the Force. He was a brave warrior, and died well." Loven said in consolation: while she sounded cold on the surface, she and the Padawan before her were too well trained to do something foolish like break down weeping. Even if she had known Jedi Master Hyrotssk well (and she hadn't), such mourning was not the way of the Jedi. They came from the Force and would one day by one way or another return to it: semantics aside, it was a part of their life.

"Yes, he did." D'ybren said, as he took his master's lightsaber from his belt. "What should I do with this?"

"Keep it, if that is what you wish, or consign it to his body when we lay him to rest. It is your choice." Loven replied. "But Padawan, I do not think you wished to speak to me of something I most likely knew. What troubles you?"

"Master Loven…I do not know what to do. My Master is dead…his teachings to me unfinished."

"Have you begun the trials, Padawan?"

"Yes…and I had passed all but one. We would have begun the last had we not been called to aid this attack…and now with his death…I cannot begin the last trial on my own."

"Do you believe that you could be Knighted now?"

"…No Master Loven. I do not believe…it would be appropriate."

Loven frowned slightly, albeit not due to anything D'ybren had said.

"It is a wise mind that knows when it is not prepared for something…but I think I see your dilemma. You are on the cusp of Knighthood and yet cannot rise up to it, both in your own mind and in the ways of our Order."

"My Master believed me ready to face my final trial. I believe that all I require is a new hand to guide me…and therefore lies the root of my dilemma. The Jedi are scattered far and wide over the galaxy, and many already have Padawans. My question is…who is left to train me?"

"Hmmmmm. You have a point Padawan. The war has indeed proven taxing for our order: those who survive already have their apprentices. Yet you, and I, do not believe you can take the final trial alone or be Knighted now…" Loven said. "I cannot give you an answer, but I will speak to the Council on this."

"The Council? Should they really be concerned with such a problem?"

"The Council speaks for, and to, all Jedi Padawan, no matter how small the problem may seem. I will contact them. Wait here." Loven said, as she turned and went back into her tent. D'ybren nodded to her back and waited.

And watched.

Despite what he saw.

* * *

"Hmmmmmmmmm." The hologram of the small wizened alien know as Yoda, the greatest Jedi of the age and virtual leader of all others, said as he brought a hand to his chin. "Easily solved, this problem is not. What say you, Master Mundi?" 

The also wizened Cerean appeared in another hologram, his elongated head nodded forward in thought.

"Our codes remained unchanged for thousands of years as no outside factors such as these Clone Wars resulted in their disruption. But as a result of these wars, we are beginning to see situations that do not have any rules or have been so rare that our predecessors felt no need to assign rules to them…due to this factor we have no immediate answer."

"Discuss it, we must. But request that Padawan D'ybren Bow come to the Council at once, as well. We will speak with him and make our decision then. Hurry, he must: the war may yet require our immediate aid."

"Yes Master Yoda. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Loven."

Loven signed off and stepped back out of the tent.

* * *

_I am D'ybren Bow, a Jedi Padawan, and perhaps a Knight of the Jedi Order should this problem be worked out. I was born in touch with the Force, and have spent most of my life training and learning to understand it. All Jedi manifest their connection to the Force in different ways. Some are a greater affinity with animals. Others, plants. Master Windu had a unique ability to perceive some future events in regards to certain beings: it is said that had he been allowed near Count Dooku the Clone Wars may have never even begun. My Master, Hyrotssk, could enhance his senses with the Force, smelling even the tiniest hints of scents and using them to track his target across worlds._

_And I…_

_I am blessed by the Force with a unique vision that comes to me, sometimes at my behest and sometime at its own._

_And sometimes I wish I did not have such a gift._

_The Force flows through all things that live, and can even infuse things that do not. My gift is the ability to see those connections, the threads that bind living things. I see many kinds, defined by colors. In these masses of Clone troopers they are a yellowish gold, threads of camaraderie and fellowship. They are connected, some in several different ways. The threads I see cover and flow through the entire camp._

_But not one touches me._

_Perhaps this may not seem so bad: these connections are with their comrades, an understandable observation, but I also see several weak strands sliding into the tent beside me, where Master Loven is: the connection between a leader and his/her troops. But Master Loven is their leader. I am just a Jedi Padawan: they would not know me from any random alien plucked from the many worlds of the Republic._

_I am alone._

_Then again…I have always been so._

_Even my Master, as good a teacher as he was…I looked, so many times, hoping for even the weakest of threads between us. But they never came. To him, I was a material to be molded, as fine as could be, but not to be cared for. Why Master Hyrotssk had such a view, I never learned, and now I never will._

_At such times the vision haunts me. They say that no creature ever truly stands alone…perhaps true in a practical sense, but it is difficult to live on practicality alone._

_But the Force must have a reason for granting me such sight._

_As much…as it troubles me at times._

_Then again…perhaps it is only a reminder of my origins._

_The…_

"Padawan?" Came a voice, and D'ybren turned from his deep observations and introspecting and back to Jedi Master Loven.

"The Council wishes for you to speak with them in regards to your problem. Go, posthaste."

"The Council itself? Are you certain?"

"Yes. But go: their time may be short."

"Yes Master Loven." D'ybren said, as he bowed slightly and turned to leave.

He had taken several steps when he heard another cry of "Master Loven!", and perhaps due more to curiosity then wisdom, D'ybren stopped and turned his head as a female Jedi ran up to the Jedi Master, another woman of bronze-yellow skin and long black hair, perhaps once tied up but now flowing free, a battle close call perhaps, smiling widely. Loven's Padawan, D'ybren assumed: her name was Dewhu, if he recalled correctly.

In any case, she was now speaking to her Master, back from her battle and filled with the excitement some had when they had defied death. And while Loven was clearly trying to calm her, there was the clear sense of a smile of her face.

D'ybren didn't want it to happen: he blinked and there it was. The thread. Flowing back and forth between Master and Apprentice, a strong pinkish color, a thread that looked like it would require a vibroblade the size of a moon to sever. Such a strong connection to each other, in a way that did not defy the codes…

But…that was what the Force willed for them, D'ybren mused, as he turned and walked away. They were meant to have such a bond.

He was meant…for…

No answer came to him.

All the way to the closest Jedi Interceptor, all the way out of the planet's outer atmosphere and into space, all the way to the nearest hyperspace transport ring, D'ybren sought the answer.

And found, as he had many times in the past, that even the Force could not give it to him.

* * *

D'ybren shot out of hyperspace and reconnected to one of the many transport rings outside Coruscant, disconnecting his small spacecraft from it and heading down to the planet's surface. He had to concentrate more then he usually had to: his piloting skill was mediocre at best and if he wasn't careful he might fly right into another craft. Having send the appropriate codes as soon as he had arrived he was allowed immediate access to the planet as he flew down through the clouds, one eye on his viewscreen and one eye on his radar, just in case. He broke through the clouds without any collisions and came down above the Western Sea, which he flew over for a time before he arrived at the ecumenopolis that was Coruscant itself. It did not take him long to reach the Jedi Temple. 

D'ybren docked and hopped out of the craft, walking briskly as he nodded to the Service Corps member who attended to his ship. Though he had been told to head to the Council without delay, the quarters he had shared with his Master was on the way, and he figured a brief stop could not hurt. So he ducked into said quarters, placing his Master's lightsaber on his desk and then retrieving a new robe so he would be able to project at least a modicum of civility to the High Council.

Strange…the quarters had always been rather spartan, but such was the Jedi way. But for the first time they seemed more then spartan. They seemed…empty.

Such a thought troubled D'ybren, as he resumed his walk, passing his fellows, and…

A casual blink brought it back again.

The threads. Everywhere. Coursing through the entire temple, so many of them they seemed to be almost endless. The connections of Masters and their Padawans, mostly, but also friendships, and some lines that probably spoke of things forbidden in the codes, and a few rare variants, such as friendly rivalries.

So many…

And yet…none touched him.

He willed back the disquiet with his need to hurry, as he continued his trip to the Council. He arrived swiftly, speaking to the Jedi outside, and was shown in within two minutes.

He had been before the Council once before, when they had called on his Master, but they had asked him to leave so they could discuss their matters privately. Even though his time with them had been short, D'ybren had been struck by the incredible presence the Council had. In their company he could not only feel the Force, he swore he could almost see it, in ways beyond his already unique at times vision. In their shadows, it seemed like he could truly look upon the heart of the Force. It had been a powerful, potent feeling, with none of the corruption that lurked in such similar whispers of the Dark Side.

And it had not changed, as he stepped before the circle. Of the twelve council members, ten were actually there. In person were Master Yoda, the Cerean Jedi Ki-Adi-Mundi, the Togruta female Jedi Shaak Ti, the Nautolan Jedi Kit Fisto, the Kel Dor Jedi Plo Koon, and a recent addition to the council, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Attending via hologram was Master Mace Windu, the Zabrak Jedi Agen Kolar, the Iktotchi Jedi Saesee Tiin, and the Ongree Jedi Pablo-Jill (Jedi Master Stass Allie was not present, and the Council had yet to find a replacement for the Lannik Jedi Master Even Piell, who was currently missing in action and presumed dead, possibly at the hand of General Grievous.)

"Masters." D'ybren said, bowing his head. "I am honored you would take your time to speak with me."

"Time, we have, but not much. Informed us of your quandary, Master Loven has, but some more detail, we request." Yoda asked.

D'ybren, as quickly as he could, began to speak of his life in order to give the Council an idea of his current place and his opinions about it, though he glossed over his past and the majority of his training with his master as he spoke of his trials and how he had passed the ones he had, and ended with his Master's death on Tetrion and how he believed that he was yet unfit to be knighted unless he passed the final trial.

"You are certain that you cannot become a Knight now?" Windu inquired.

"Yes Master Windu."

"Some wisdom, you have, Padawan. And your problem, we see." Yoda said.

"However, I am not certain if we can aid you." Windu said.

"I would assume that your problem is one I have already deduced." D'ybren replied.

"Yes Padawan. Your assertion that a proper training figure is unavailable is sadly, more then accurate." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "And although you have declared your need for one, your troubles may be beyond us."

"I see. And I understand." D'ybren said. "I would gladly wait, however I am concerned that if too much time passes, I may lose my readiness."

"Jedi always ready, must be." Yoda mildly chastised.

"Of course Master Yoda." D'ybren said, bowing his head a bit more.

"We may not have an immediate solution to your problem, but we will see if we can find one." Obi-Wan Kenobi said.

"Yes. Leave us for now, Padawan. We will summon you if and when a solution we have reached." Yoda said.

"Thank you Masters. May the Force be with you all."

"With you, as well." Yoda said, as D'ybren bowed again and then turned and left the room. "Come up, any urgent matters have?"

"It's quiet here for now." Windu said: his words were echoed by the other Jedi Masters attending by hologram.

"Then for now, we will see if we cannot find D'ybren Bow a guiding hand for his final step. Padawans we all have, I assume." Yoda said, as all the Jedi nodded to the fact they all currently had apprentices.

"The child speaks the truth: these Clone Wars have scattered us, interrupted our way of teaching and living. If the Separatists are not defeated soon, I worry it may grow worse." Plo Koon said, his voice muffled and raspy behind the breathing mask he had to wear to breathe in the oxygen-rich environment of Coruscant.

"Is a master necessary? He speaks that he is almost there. Perhaps we can place him with a Knight to finish the last steps of his trials." Obi-Wan suggested.

"Certain folly in such a suggestion Master Obi-Wan. Many Knights little more then Padawans themselves. Would you entrust YOUR apprentice with this child's final steps?"

"Anakin? Maybe not Anakin…but perhaps there may be a Knight who is capable of such a task. And it would probably be better then leaving D'ybren hanging, so to speak."

"Hmmmm." Yoda said, as his eyes closed somewhat and grew pensive. "This minor trouble speaks of larger ones…ones that have hovered over us like a heavy shroud for much time. Perhaps if we do not aid the minor ones, the larger ones overwhelm us, risk they do…" Yoda said. "Very well. Know of a Knight who would be suited for such a task, does anyone?"

"Well…" Spoke the Jedi Master known as Kit Fisto for the first time. "I believe I may have a very well suited candidate."

"Oh? Knight you know, Master Fisto?" Yoda asked. "Knowledge is well, but what of availability?"

"Capable and available? Both." Fisto said, and grinned widely. Despite his utter mastery of Form I lightsaber combat, not to mention his numerous accolades from the Clone Wars, the thing that everyone always remembered about Kit Fisto was his broad grin. Indeed, while it was always Master Fisto to his face, virtually every Youngling, Padawan, Knight, and even some Masters called him Smilin' Kit Fisto, or even Smilin' Kit. Fisto knew of the nickname, and he accepted it as long as no one called him it to his face. Besides, how could he protest when it was rumored that even Master Yoda had called him by the name once or twice? "In fact, she just became available…"

* * *

The vision was back, and D'ybren found he couldn't stop it. 

Jedi of all stripes walked around him, and their connections swirled throughout the halls, drifting through walls and ceilings. And as it always was, their tendrils swirled around him, never once coming near. He didn't even see any coming out of the Jedi Council, but he could understand that: the Council may have cared in general for all Jedi, but such general things did not form a connection.

D'ybren sighed to himself, looking up at the ceiling. He was grateful to the Force for such a gift, but at times he truly questioned why the Force had granted him this sight, or rather why it seemed so determined to hoist it upon him as if to remind him of his solitude.

It was a solitude that D'ybren found distasteful, to say the least. The life of a Jedi was one of sacrifice, and it forbid such things as attachments, but that did not mean Jedi had to be alone. Indeed, D'ybren's eyes showed that Jedi were never alone. The Code aside, many held deep, or at least substantial, connections to each other in many ways. Yet despite his eyes being the only ones that saw in such a way (as far as D'ybren knew), he seemed to also be the one fated to never have such a connection. His Master had been distant and cold, and he had no time to make friends of fellow Padawans.

He was alone, as if all the stars has burned out around him and left him the lone dot on the night sky.

Well, he supposed the Force had a reason for it. It had to.

Because why wouldn't…

The stirrings of foreboding bothered D'ybren, so he closed his eyes and tried to relax, reciting in his mind the words of Jedi Master Odan-Urr, whose mediations on the Force formed the backbone of the Jedi Code.

_There is no emotion; there is peace.  
__There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.  
__There is no passion; there is serenity.  
__There is no chaos; there is harmony.  
__There is no death; there is the Force._

………

_There is no emotion…_

_No…emotion…_

"Padawan Bow?" spoke a sudden voice in his head, and D'ybren opened in his eyes.

"Master Yoda?" He thought back.

"We have come to a decision. Return to the Council chambers."

D'ybren got up off the bench he had been sitting on and made his way to the Council once more, which didn't take long as he hasn't moved from in front of its doors.

He was soon in front of the ten masters again. Except this time he wasn't alone. Another Jedi stood before them, assumingly summoned beforehand. D'ybren had been so wrapped up in his inner thoughts he hadn't even noticed a Jedi walking through the council doors. In a show of respect though, he did not give the Jedi any more then a fleeting glance before he turned his eyes back to Master Yoda: all he saw was a flash of brown of a typical Jedi robe.

"A decision, we have come to." Yoda said.

"We have decided to place you under the tutelage of a Knight for your final step, so that you may complete your final trial and join our ranks." Windu said.

"Thank you Masters." D'ybren said, and turned to look at his new teacher for the first time, even as Yoda coughed slightly before speaking again.

And after nearly twelve years of looking at his master's scaled, snarling lizard features, the face of his new teacher came as somewhat of a shock.

She was a Twi'lik, her skin a deep cerulean hue, her eyes almost the same color. Though she did not smile, D'ybren sensed a friendly greeting as she turned a bit to look at him even as he looked at her.

"This is Aayla Secura. She's just returned from the Siege of Saleucami. She'll aid you with your final trial." Windu said.

"Unless problem, you have?" Yoda asked, letting a tiny bit of humor seep into his voice, though the joke was more if a Padawan would actually try and claim to know better then the Jedi High Council rather then who they had chosen to aid D'ybren.

"No Masters." D'ybren said, but for the first time he did not look at them as he spoke. His eyes remained fixed where they were.

D'ybren had not been locked up in a room his whole life. He had traveled somewhat, seeing Coruscant and, with the Clone Wars, other planets. He had seen many things. But for the first time in his life, he saw something that defied his ability to describe.

Except in one way.

_By the Force…she's beautiful._

_To Be Continued (And for anyone who wants to comment "Ha ha, I see where this is going!", well, maybe you do, but remember what happens when you assume, readers old and new.)_


End file.
